Over the 40+ years that we’ve been open, we have had thousands of dancers through our doors. Some dancers take class merely for the fun of moving their body to music, others take dance for exercise or to make new friends, and for our youngest dancers it helps develop motor skills and familiarity with a classroom setting.
Dance becomes a passion for many of our students, and sometimes we are fortunate to hear from some of our alumni that have gone on to join ballet companies or professional dance groups. We recently heard from one such student’s family, who started dancing in our preschool classes which ignited their passion for dance. They have since joined Pacific Northwest Ballet and recently had large roles in PNB’s production of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
“You may not remember me but my daughter, Shreya, started dance lessons at the age of 2.5 in your school,” her mother writes. “Wanted to thank you for starting her off on the right foot and to let you know that today she makes her debut in the role of a Persian Attendant in PNB’s Swan Lake. She was selected as part of the small student cast. Shreya is [also] performing in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker this season. She is a Polichinelle.”
It warms our hearts to hear that Shreya not only continued in dance, but has achieved such a high level. Our hope is always that dance has somehow enriched the lives of our students and brought them joy. We can see that for Shreya, it has also become a passion and way of life.
